Threat of Annihilation

Chapter 5 - Meal

Warning: Choking, slapping

With shaky limbs and bloodied lips that quivered as I carefully spawned my strings around my wounds to heal them I could feel her piercing gaze even though that mask. Even after all of our fights her brutality knows no bounds. I knew my healing skills had improved since our brawls began, but I never imagined I'd be so quick to recover from such terrible injuries. I feel as though I should be dead. If I wasn't shaking from shock, I'd heal twice as fast. 

"Creature, what holts you?" Questioned Marigold, I gathered by her posture, she we getting impatient. 

"Nothing but time my lady, do as you wish between now and the moment of my repair." I answer respectfully, still not sure why she stopped her assault before. 

"Can thy stand?" She asked, I carefully scanned myself, major injuries other than a few bruises all already gone. 

"Yes, I think so my lady." I say while nodding.

"Good." She plainly responds before stepping beside me and began to walk down the street. My eyes followed her carefully, somewhat surprised when she halted her movements and turned to look at me, before beckoning me to her with a gesture. I was ready to obey, preparing to stand but I discovered rather quickly the hand gesture was not for me but for her chains that speedily wrapped around my neck and dragged me to her, rushing me to my feet. I watched as similar chains delivered Marigold her grocery bags from before, she must have put them down at some point. Mine were all trashed and ruined along the pavement. With her bag in hand, she began to walk, dragging me by the neck with a color and leash right behind her. 

I felt a sickeningly strong sense of relief she didn't kill me at this time deep into the night where not another could would be awake to witness the unfortunate situation I find myself in. 

She had me practically jogging behind those long lustrous legs of hers. One step for her equated to what felt like four of mine. The joy I felt when I noticed the familiar bus stop for the journey back to the precinct steadily approaching, she should be stopping soon, I wish. She continued, passing the stop without a second glance. I froze in confusion, looking back and forth between her and the bus stop, a harsh yank around my neck forced me to carry on my movements.

"M-My lady the bus stop was back there!" I plead, she just scoffs.

"Silence creature. We walk back." She said plainly. I though I misheard her...walk back?? that would take over an hour minimum. I try to pull back, realizing she is deadly serious, but each time I am tugged, I got pulled along like a rag doll. 

"T-That's hours away!! At this pace I will not last-" I gasp as the chain tightens, squeezing the words down my throat.

"I said silence." 

I hastily shut my mouth and follow, the chain loosening as I do. I think she might be trying to exhaust me to death... 

To her credit, Marigold new exactly where she was going, all the best roads and alleyways to avoid absolutely every living soul in the area, but it made the journey back all the more torturous and long. Many buses passed that I knew we could have taken had it not been for this women holding me by a leash. Another tug pulled on my neck, I fell behind a few steps it seems, reminiscing about convenient public transportations...

"My Lady, can we PLEASE slow down??" I ask holding onto the metal chains around me neck, pulling them in any way I can to allude a sense of less restriction. 

No response.

I huff and continue my pacing, my knees beyond weak and muscles so tense with ache each step is pure discomfort. I slide a hand along my collar, down to the metal leash and watch it sway side to side. She didn't keep me close enough to be by her side, but the leash was only long enough for me to be no more than a few steps behind her. Her long silver hair swayed so elegantly, everything about her is a marvel, her strength, her magic, her clothes and especially her size. She is truly grand. A thought ran through my head that lead a string of giggles to escape my lips, I slapped my hand over my mouth when she turned to look at me.